All-metallic wide-angle metasurfaces for multifunctional polarization manipulation

Abstract

Optical camouflage is a magical capability of animals as first noticed in 1794 by Erasmus Darwin in Zoonomia, but current biomimetic camouflage strategies cannot be readily applied in complex environments involving multispectral and in particular multi-polarization detection. Here we develop a plasmonic approach toward broadband infrared polarimetric crypsis, where the polarized thermal emission near the pseudo-Brewster angle is the main signal source and no existing polarizing camouflage technique has been discovered in nature. Based on all-metallic subwavelength structures, an electrodynamic resistance-reduction mechanism is proposed to avoid the significant polarization-dependent infrared absorption/radiation. It is also found that the structured metal surface presents giant extrinsic anisotropy regarding the phase shift between orthogonal polarization states, which helps to realize ultrahigh-efficiency and tunable polarization conversion in an unprecedented manner. Finally, we note that the catenary optical theory may provide a useful means to explain and predict these unusual performances.

Keywords

• metasurface
• polarization
• thermal radiation
• crypsis
• brewster angle
• catenary optics